Benjamin Franklin and the invention of microfinance /
General Material Designation
[Book]
First Statement of Responsibility
by Bruce H. Yenawine ; edited by Michele R. Costello.
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Brookfield, Vt. :
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Pickering & Chatto,
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2010.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item
ix, 221 pages ;
Dimensions
24 cm
SERIES
Series Title
Financial history, no. 14
INTERNAL BIBLIOGRAPHIES/INDEXES NOTE
Text of Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-218) and index.
CONTENTS NOTE
Text of Note
Biography of Bruce Yenawine -- Introduction -- 1 Franklin's Intent: The Autobiographical Origins of the Codicil -- 2 Franklin's Intent: The Sources of Political and Economic Concepts -- 3 Boston: The First Century -- 4 Philadelphia: The First Century -- 5 The Centennial in Boston and Philadelphia -- 6 Boston: The Second Century -- 7 Philadelphia: The Second Century -- 8 Bicentennial: Boston and Philadelphia -- Conclusion -- Appendix A Transcription of the 1789 Codicil -- Appendix B Boston Artisan List -- Appendix C Philadelphia Artisan List -- Appendix D Summary of Litigation and State Laws -- Appendix E Chronology -- Appendix F Franklin's Calculation and Actual Value.
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SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
In life, Benjamin Franklin sought to manage debt, organize credit, build capital and promote virtue. After death, he continued this work by leaving a codicil to his last will and testament, bequeathing £2,000 to Boston and Philadelphia and to the commonwealths of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania with explicit instructions on how they should utilize the money over the course of the following two hundred years. Franklin intended that the money be used to provide loans to young married artisans to enable them to start small businesses and thereby promote a higher standard of living and a strong moral community. Although the managers put in charge of the endowment did not lend as effectively as Franklin had hoped, the loans did aid numerous small businessmen. Without fully realizing it, Franklin invented an idea that would come to fruition some two centuries later in the global microfinance movement. This study traces the development of that idea and simultaneously enlightens a neglected aspect of American financial history. Advocates of microfinance today will find much of interest in this study, including pitfalls to avoid and old ideas that may bear resuscitation. Publisher's note.
PERSONAL NAME USED AS SUBJECT
Franklin, Benjamin,1706-1790-- Will.
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
Franklin, Benjamin,1706-1790.
Franklin, Benjamin.
CORPORATE BODY NAME USED AS SUBJECT
University of South Alabama
TOPICAL NAME USED AS SUBJECT
Microfinance-- United States-- History.
Small business-- United States-- Finance-- History.